KIM TITCHENER
What would you say to somebody who says girls shouldn’t solo hike?
I would say nature is way safer than town and simply ignore them. I hike on my own. Typically I am unable to discover somebody to go together with and generally I simply want that point alone in nature. The possibilities of getting attacked by a bear or different wildlife are fairly low – statistically, the drive there’s extra harmful.
There may be a lot you are able to do to cut back your possibilities of stepping into encounters with bears and different wildlife, so why deny your self the liberty of the outside? That being stated, we do see extra assaults by bears on people who hike by themselves or in teams of two. So take a bear security class to make certain you might be doing every part you possibly can to keep away from an encounter and be prepared for what to do if it occurs.
What’s your #1 solo climbing security tip?
The very best instrument we now have as girls is our voice. While you hike or do any kind of recreation in bear nation, it’s actually necessary to let wildlife know that you’re there, that you’re a human (not prey) and that you’re transferring of their path. Most assaults we see on solo hikers are defensive assaults as a result of the bear wasn’t conscious of their presence and so they get defensive of themselves, their cubs, or a meals supply.
By making noise, we give bears a possibility to pay attention to us, transfer out of the way in which, and never be shocked. The opposite extra uncommon kind of bear assault is predatory. This does not occur too typically, however by making noise, you assist that animal establish you as human.
Additionally, by being conscious of your environment, it’s a lot tougher for bears to sneak up on you. Remember to keep away from carrying earbuds or taking part in music, as you might be much less more likely to hear an animal sneaking up on you.
After I”m climbing alone or in a gaggle, I let loose a holler each couple of minutes as I am going. If I am transferring at a excessive velocity, like on my mountain bike, I make noise much more typically. If there’s wind, water flowing, or dense brush and poor traces of sight, I make much more noise.
My second tip to that as a solo hiker is to make sure you are carrying your 10 necessities, which ought to embrace a communication gadget that you need to use to name for assist and a can of bear spray in a holster in your physique. That method, simply in case you do occur to shock a bear or are stalked, you’ve one thing to defend your self with, that can be confirmed to be extremely efficient at stopping bear assaults.
Kim Titchener began RecSafe with Wildlife when Covid hit, and it turned apparent that much more folks could be spending time in bear nation and would wish to learn to be safer round bears.
Go to www.recsafewithwildlife.com to get a free membership and entry to all our bear security assets, and join our bear security and bear spray lessons. All followers of @shedreamsofalpine get 20% off on our 2-hour Bear Security Class with the coupon code: SHEDREAMSOFALPINE
By no means go away any essential objects behind earlier than you head out on a backpacking journey! I’ve written down all of the necessities right here for you so that you just’ll always remember something very important. PLUS, I like to spoil my readers with just a little bit additional as nicely, so I’ve included an inventory of 20+ of my favourite backpacking meals snacks and meals inside this listing for inspiration.
